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Opelika, Alabama, is often lumped in with nearby Auburn, a city famous for Auburn University and its mighty Tigers, but Opelika has a history and feel all its own. The city has plenty to draw you out, thanks to an active downtown, historic sites, Tiger Town and a burgeoning craft brewing scene. Those perks attract people to Opelika, and residents want fast, reliable internet to keep them connected for work and play. 

AT&T Fiber is our choice for the best internet provider in Opelika due to its 5,000Mbps speed tier, which is available in some parts of the city. Fiber provider Point Broadband makes a strong case for consideration as well. Spectrum cable internet, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet offer affordable alternatives where fiber isn’t available. Let’s get the ISP train rolling and look at the best internet options for Opelika.

Best internet options in Opelika

Regarding fast internet plans, Opelika is a good place to shop. Much of the city is hooked up for fiber internet, the Cadillac of residential internet services. Both AT&T Fiber and Point Broadband operate in the city, so your choice may come down to availability and price. If you’re in a spot with no fiber coverage, check into Spectrum for cable internet, or T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet for 5G fixed wireless. 

AT&T Fiber

Best overall among internet providers in Opelika

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Product details

Price range

$55 – $180 per month

Speed range

300 – 5,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Highlights

Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

AT&T Fiber has some stiff competition from Point Broadband, but AT&T’s top speed tier of 5,000Mbps combined with no-fuss pricing makes it our choice for the best internet provider in the city.

Availability: AT&T Fiber’s coverage in Opelika is a bit patchwork, so you may find some dry spots around the center of town and scattered throughout the area. If you’re in one of those places, look to Point Broadband for fiber.

Plans and pricing: There’s a huge price swing between AT&T Fiber’s budget offering of 300Mbps for $55 per month and its fastest speed tier of 5,000Mbps for $180. Consider a Goldilocks compromise to balance price and speed, perhaps at the $80-per-month level for 1,000Mbps. Pricing is after an autopay and paperless billing discount.

Service details: AT&T Fiber promises no data caps, no annual contract, no equipment fee and no price increase after a year. Look for special offers like a reward card or payment of your cancellation fee if switching from another provider. AT&T Fiber may also offer to waive the $99 installation fee.

Read our AT&T home internet review.

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Point Broadband

Best regional internet provider in Opelika

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Product details

Price range

$40 – $60 per month

Speed range

200 – 1,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Highlights

No data caps, no contracts, equipment included

Point Broadband operates in 10 states, offering up to 1,000Mbps in Opelika. The biggest challenge with Point is sorting out plan pricing. 

Availability: One advantage Point has over AT&T is that it covers parts of Opelika that aren’t hooked up with AT&T Fiber. Notably, Point fills in the wider area around the intersection of N. 10th Street and 2nd Avenue that AT&T doesn’t service with fiber. 

Plans and pricing: Point offers some tempting introductory offers, but look closely at the terms. Most plans jump up considerably at some point. The basic $40 plan for 200Mbps increases to $65 after the first three months. Compare that to a recent special deal of $60 per month for the 1,000Mbps plan. After 36 months, that plan goes to $115. You may find a faster plan to be a better deal, at least for the first few years. 

Fees and service details: While the plans can be tricky to navigate, other aspects of the service are easy to understand. Point has no data caps, no contracts and no monthly equipment costs. There’s a $99 standard installation fee, but you may be able to get that waived through a promotional offer.

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T-Mobile Home Internet

Best fixed wireless among internet providers in Opelika

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Product details

Price range

$50 per month ($30 for eligible T-Mobile Magenta Max customers)

Speed range

33 – 182Mbps

Connection

Fixed wireless

Highlights

Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees

T-Mobile Home Internet is our top fixed wireless option for Opelika based on availability. Wide coverage and simple pricing make it an easy-to-use alternative to other ISPs, especially if fiber isn’t available to you or if you’re looking for a budget option. Compare T-Mobile Home Internet with Verizon 5G Home Internet. 

Availability: T-Mobile’s 5G network offers good coverage across the Opelika area. Speeds, however, can be very dependent on location and network demand. This is the kind of service you might want to try if you’re looking for an alternative to cable or are tempted by the low price you get from bundling with a phone plan.

Plans and pricing: T-Mobile Home Internet has a straightforward plan price of $50 per month for speeds up to 182Mbps. The deal gets sweeter if you bundle it with an eligible phone plan, bringing the monthly price down to just $30.

Fees and service details: There are no data caps, contracts or equipment fees to worry about. When you get started, T-Mobile charges a $35 service fee, but look for a $50 gift card special to offset that cost. That makes it easy to take the service for a test run to see if you get adequate speeds at your address.

Check T-Mobile availability

All available Opelika residential internet providers

Opelika is a pretty typical market for ISP shoppers. There are several fiber options with AT&T and Point Broadband, a cable option from Spectrum, and fixed wireless from T-Mobile and Verizon. AT&T’s slower DSL service also reaches many homes, and satellite internet is a potential alternative for more rural locations in the area. 

• AT&T Internet: AT&T’s fiber offering is its premium internet service, but the company also offers DSL connections in places not serviced by fiber. It’s a much, much slower option and likely won’t be your first choice. The price is $55 with no contract and no equipment fees, but you may find only poky speeds. For example, some addresses in Opelika can only get up to 10Mbps through AT&T’s DSL.
• Satellite internet: No fiber? No cable? Is fixed wireless not working out? Satellite internet from Starlink, Viasat or HughesNet is an option for more rural areas that might not have much choice in how to get internet. Frequent RV travelers should also consider Starlink’s on-the-go internet plan for staying connected on the road.
• Spectrum: Charter Communications’ Spectrum cable internet is widely available across Opelika. It’s a strong option if fiber isn’t available at your address. Speeds range from 300Mbps ($50 per month) to 940Mbps ($90 per month). You get a free modem, and there are no data caps or contracts.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon tells CNET it has some home internet availability in Opelika. Not every home will be able to sign up just yet, though. You’ll have to run your address to find out. Plans run $50-$70. Verizon offers speeds of up to 1,000Mbps in some cities in the US, but Opelika residents will be looking at a max speed of 300Mbps. Combining Verizon’s home internet with an eligible phone plan can net you a sweet deal of 50% off your internet bill. 

Opelika internet details at a glance

In keeping with Opelika’s railroad heritage, let’s compare the internet to trains. AT&T’s DSL is like an overloaded freight working its way up a steep pass. It’ll get there eventually, but it won’t go fast. Fixed wireless is like Amtrak. Maybe it’ll be timely; maybe it’ll be running a little slow. Spectrum’s cable offering is like regional passenger rail. Solid, capable and decently fast. Lower-gig tiers of fiber from AT&T and Point Broadband are like express commuter trains: plenty fast enough for most people. Fiber at its speediest (as in AT&T’s 5-gig plan) is like a bullet train. Zoom. Which one will you board?

Opelika internet pricing

The average starting price for internet in Opelika is just a hair under $50 per month. Point Broadband’s $40-per-month introductory deal for 200Mbps service is the cheapest intro to fiber, but keep an eye on future price hikes. All Opelika ISPs have at least one plan at around the $50 level. AT&T Fiber and Spectrum are on the faster side of that with 300Mbps offerings.

Cheap internet options in the Opelika area

If cost is your top concern, it’s hard to beat Verizon’s $25 or T-Mobile’s $30 special price when you bundle with an eligible phone plan. You can pull down faster speeds from Point, Spectrum and AT&T Fiber for starting prices between $40 and $55. Point has some tempting deals, but watch for price changes. 

Low-income households should check into the federal Affordable Connectivity Program. Most eligible homes will qualify for $30 off their internet bill, which can put high-speed internet well within reach.

Opelika internet speeds

According to Ookla, of Speedtest.net fame, Opelika’s median download speed for fixed internet is about 197Mbps. AT&T has some of the slowest and fastest internet speeds in Opelika. It’s all about technology. AT&T Internet’s DSL will likely be too slow, while AT&T Fiber and its max speeds up to 5,000Mbps will keep your online experience peppy. Point Broadband and Spectrum cable both make a case with speeds in the 1,000Mbps range.

Fastest internet providers in Opelika

There’s one clear champ in the race to provide the fastest internet service to Opelika, and that’s AT&T Fiber’s 5,000Mbps plan at the $180-per-month price. That may be overkill for many internet users, but big-time gamers and households with multiple heavy internet users can take advantage of that offering. Just watch out for limited availability in Opelika. Most people who enjoy streaming, browsing and gaming will do just fine at the 1,000Mbps (1 gigabit) level from AT&T Fiber, Point Broadband or Spectrum. 

What’s the final word on internet providers in Opelika?

When it comes to the internet in Opelika, it’s all about location. Does AT&T Fiber or Point Broadband service your address? Those are good places to start for fast, reliable fiber connections. If fiber isn’t available or you don’t have that need for speed, chances are good Spectrum has you covered with cable. Finally, don’t sleep on T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet. They can be extremely affordable and fast enough for many households in good locations for fixed wireless.

Internet providers in Opelika FAQs